This film sold 25 crore tickets worldwide despite being called a flop; it still beat Baahubali, RRR, Animal, KGF, Jawan at the box office
Jawan was the biggest Indian film of last year (2023). The film not only earned Rs 1100 crore at the box office but also sold an estimated 5 crore tickets worldwide, including just under 4 crore in India. This is a big number but when you consider the most watched Indian films, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer pales in comparison to some yesteryear classics. The most-watched Indian film, for instance, registered an astounding 25 crore footfalls. And initially, it was dubbed a flop.
India’s most watched film is...
No surprises that Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay is the biggest Indian film of all time. The multi-starrer Curry Western was a rage at the box office and remained India’s highest-grossing film for close to a decade. As per IMDb and Indicine, Sholay sold an estimated 15 crore tickets in India during its initial run in 1975. A number of re-releases over the years seems to have pushed this number closer to 18 crore. The film was a blockbuster overseas as well. In Soviet Russia, the film was reported to have sold 48 million (4.8 crore) tickets in its initial run and 6 crore after re-releases. Industry insiders say the film is estimated to have sold over 2 crore tickets in Europe and North America, as well as the rest of Asia. This gives the film an estimated overall footfall of 22-25 crore.
How Sholay scripted box office history
Sholay was India’s most expensive film at the time of its release, made on a budget of Rs 3 crore. The film grossed Rs 15 crore worldwide in its initial run, extending it to Rs 35 crore upon re-releases over the years. When adjusted for inflation, Sholay’s worldwide earnings come out to Rs 2800 crore, the second-highest of all time for any Indian film, just behind Mughal-e-Azam. This makes its earning higher than Dangal (inflation adjusted gross of Rs 2650 crore), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Rs 2170 crore), Mother India (Rs 2120 crore), and Hum Aapke Hain Koun (Rs 2100 crore). Recent hits like RRR, KGF Chapter 2, Animal, and Jawan have not even earned half as much.
When Sholay was considered a flop
Sholay was released on Independence Day weekend in 1975 but it did not have a record-breaking opening. In fact, the first day was dismal. Trade pundits labelled it a flop and there was an emergency meeting Ramesh Sippy conducted with the writers Salim-Javed and the stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, and Dharmendra. They mulled changing the climax but Salim-Javed advised to wait a few days. By Sunday, the film began picking up due to word of mouth and the rest, as they say, is history.
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